"Shin'o Academy of Spiritual Arts."
"Registration Office," "Turn left ahead."
A wooden sign stood in the middle of the road.
Uzumaki Naruto stared at the words and took a deep breath.
Ahead was not some perilous place; it was merely a school for training "Shinigami." Failing the assessment would not bring punishment, and there was always the opportunity to reapply next year.
However... Naruto did not have any fond memories of "schools."
The last time he had contact with a "school" was three years ago.
At that time, he was still in another world, attending a "Ninja Academy" in a village called "Konoha."
He was the despised "dead last." No one wanted to be his friend, and not a single teacher liked him.
Of course, this wasn't limited to the school; his situation was the same throughout the entire village of Konoha.
Even shops and convenience stores did not welcome him or do business with him—except for "Ichiraku Ramen," the only shop willing to serve him.
So, Naruto didn't like schools.
But he had an unavoidable reason to enroll this time.
This place, different from Konoha, was another world, a place called "Soul Society," where souls reside after death.
Although he had not experienced the "Soul Burial" that other souls mentioned, Naruto had no difficulty understanding the fact: "Coming here meant I was already dead."
Death strikes fear into the living.
Yet Naruto did not find it hard to accept.
He quickly grew fond of this place—where there was no inexplicable scolding or malicious targeting of him alone. Shops welcomed his business, and many people were willing to befriend him.
Most importantly, in Soul Society, souls return after death, which meant he was finally in the same world as his parents.
The only bad news was that the place of birth for souls in Soul Society is not fixed.
There are 360 districts in Rukongai, and the probability of being born in the same district is only one in 360.
Naruto had searched his district for three years without finding his parents.
Therefore... he had to become a Shinigami.
He had to become an extraordinary person like a "Captain," with a squad of people helping him search, or have his name spread throughout Soul Society.
In that way, he would surely find his parents.
Uzumaki Naruto walked through the school gates with the crowd and filled out the registration form.
Under the guidance of an upperclassman in a blue and white school uniform, he entered a gymnasium.
Once the number of people reached 200, the gym doors closed.
"Reiatsu is the essence of a Shinigami." A formally dressed Shinigami, wearing a black uniform with a sword at his waist, began to introduce to this batch of examinees, "Only souls capable of possessing reiatsu are eligible to study at Shin'o Academy of Spiritual Arts."
"Come forward in the order I call."
"The rest wait."
The test was simple.
Each person only needed to place their hand on a crystal ball, and based on the light it emitted, the Shinigami would announce a different "rank."
Most would receive the cold "unqualified."
Those who passed were often at the unimpressive "seventeenth" or "eighteenth" rank, which did not please the Shinigami.
Only a few received the "eleventh" or "twelfth" rank, and the Shinigami's expression would soften slightly.
Clearly, the smaller the rank number, the better.
Naruto, having arrived late, was at the end of the line.
Watching one "unqualified" after another, with the occasional "qualified" in between, he couldn't help but clench his fists, making his fingertips red and his knuckles stand out.
He recognized many people ahead.
Some were acquaintances he had interacted with, with mixed outcomes; these individuals either failed the assessment or barely passed with ranks like "eighteenth" or "nineteenth."
Others were well-known figures.
One woman, who could barely use spiritual power to alter basic spiritual particles and "turn soil into sand," only received a "twelfth" rank.
It was all about talent.
But...
Naruto found it hard to believe he had any "talent."
If I had that thing back in the ninja academy, I wouldn't have been disliked. I would definitely be like Uchiha Sasuke, who, even with a perpetually sour expression, was loved by teachers and classmates alike.
Twentieth rank!
I need at least twentieth rank!
To be able to enroll smoothly.
Soon, the Shinigami called his name, "Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto walked over with heavy steps.
Like everyone before him, he placed his hand on the crystal ball.
The Shinigami glanced over indifferently, while the upperclassman prepared to record an "eighteenth," "nineteenth," or "unqualified."
But at that moment, something unprecedented happened.
The crystal ball burst into an intense, dazzling light.
Blinding and scorching.
The recording upperclassman's eyes widened, his brush dropped, staining the floor without him noticing.
The previously indifferent Shinigami jumped up, energized, and exclaimed, "F... Fifth rank!"
The gymnasium erupted.
This group of souls, who had not yet become Shinigamis or even students, didn't understand what "fifth rank" meant, but the fact that over a hundred people before them hadn't scored above "tenth rank" proved how extraordinary this ranking was.
The Shinigami's intense reaction further highlighted its significance.
That inconspicuous blond boy...
Was he really this exceptional?
"Assessment suspended." The Shinigami quickly calmed down and instructed a nearby student, "I'll take this... Uzumaki Naruto outside."
"Maintain order."
The student straightened up and responded, "Yes."
The Shinigami grabbed Naruto's wrist and flashed outside the gymnasium.
"Fifth rank... does that mean I'm talented?" The rushing wind and strong centrifugal force pulled Naruto back to clarity, and he asked.
The Shinigami chuckled, "Talented?"
"That's an understatement."
"Your abilities are unlike those unpolished gems yet to shine."
"We're here."
They stopped in front of a room, and the Shinigami knocked respectfully.
A voice inside said, "Come in."
The Shinigami opened the door, unable to contain his excitement as he stepped in, "Dean Hakou, a genius emerged in the new student entrance exam, fifth rank of spiritual power!"
Inside, a cheerful and kind-faced middle-aged man stood up, "Fifth rank?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." The Shinigami gently pulled Naruto inside and repeated the result, "Fifth rank of spiritual power, I saw it myself."
Then he turned to Naruto with a grin, "This is the Dean of the Shin'o Academy of Spiritual Arts, Hakou Ikki."
"Are you confused about your talent?"
Naruto nodded.
The Shinigami continued, "Fifth rank of spiritual power means that with simple training at the Shin'o Academy of Spiritual Arts, you can easily reach the Dean's rank."
Naruto was stunned.
The Dean's rank?
The Dean must be an incredible figure.
He thought of the only comparison he had...
Who was the principal of the Konoha Ninja Academy? Wasn't it the Third Hokage?
Could he become someone as remarkable as the Third Hokage?
The Shinigami chuckled, "You need at least twentieth rank of spiritual power to barely become a Shinigami."
"Tenth rank, reaching tenth rank of spiritual power can make you a low-ranked Lieutenant, like me."
"Above eighth rank, you can become a high-ranking Lieutenant, like Dean Hakou."
"Before becoming the Dean, he was a sixth rank spiritual power, serving as the third seat of the Ninth Division."
"And the fifth rank of spiritual power already meets the requirements for a vice-captain."
At this point, the Shinigami paused, his deep gaze on Naruto filled with satisfaction.
"But this still doesn't fully explain your talent."
"In nearly a hundred years, not only has no student enrolled with fifth rank of spiritual power, but even graduates with over eighth rank of spiritual power have been very few."
"Even the current captains of the Third Division, Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, and the Ninth Division, Muguruma Kensei, were only at sixth rank when they graduated."
Naruto, engrossed, condensed this long speech into a simple question: "So, I'm a genius?"
Hakou Ichi laughed heartily, "You're not just a genius; you're a once-in-a-century genius."
"And you're quite young too."
"No wonder they brought you to see me."
Naruto didn't respond, just looked at the two people celebrating him.
Deep in his ear, a "crack" sound echoed.
Something within him broke.
It seemed... to be biased.
~~~
I can't find a Dean (only the Principal which is the Captain-Commander) Shin'o Academy on Bleach, nor is there a person named Hakou Ikki in Bleach.
波岗一喜, はこういっき, Hakou Ikki